1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to, and, in particular, to a portable communication terminal such as a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) phone, a game phone, a chatting phone, a camera phone, a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Layer-3 (MP3) phone, a cellular phone, a Personal Communication Service (PCS) phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and a Hand Held Phone (HHP), and in particular, to a portable communication terminal for games, which is easy to use in a game mode as well as in a phone mode, and a user interface device thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable communication terminal generally refers to an electronic apparatus which a user can carry with him/her to perform wireless communication with a desired partner. The wireless communication may be voice communication, message transmission, file transmission, video communication, and a camera function. Additionally, the portable communication terminal serves as a personal agent by performing phone number management and personal schedule management.
To enhance portability, designs of the portable communication terminal tend to be compact, slim, and light. Designs also include multimedia availability for a wide variety of service functions, e.g., entertainment functions including game services. In particular, future portable communication terminals are expected to incorporate greater multi-functionality and multi-purpose utilization including video communication, game, Internet, and camera functions as well as voice communication functions.
Conventional portable communication terminals may be classified into various types according to their appearance in consideration of portability and convenience in use, such as bar-type portable communication terminals and fold-type portable communication terminals. The bar-type portable communication terminal has a single housing shaped like a bar in which data input/output devices, an antenna device, and transmission/reception devices are mounted. The fold-type portable communication terminal has a folder coupled to a single bar-shaped housing by a hinge device in such a manner that the folder can fold towards and unfold away from the housing. A folder is rotatably coupled to a main body by a hinge unit, keys are disposed in the main body, and a display unit is disposed in the folder in the fold-type portable communication terminal, contributing to miniaturization and portability. A type of fold-type portable communication terminal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,406, which discloses folder-type portable communication terminal, a camera lens housing is mounted in a hinge unit.
Additionally, the portable communication terminals may be further classified as swing-type communication terminals and slide-type communication terminals based upon the way of opening and closing the communication terminals. In the swing-type portable communication terminals, two housings are coupled to each other to allow one housing to rotatably open or close relative to the other while facing each other. In the slide-type portable communication terminal, two housings are coupled to each other to allow one housing to slide along a longitudinal direction to open or close the slide-type portable communication terminal.
For example, in the slide-type portable communication terminal, a main body and a slider are coupled to each other by a slide module while facing each other, a plurality of keys are disposed in the main body, and a display unit is disposed in the slider. Such a structure is advantageous to a wide display unit and provides easiness in opening/closing operations. A slide-type portable communication terminal is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,822,871. In the slide-type portable communication terminal, a plurality of keys are disposed in a main body housing and a display unit is mounted in a slide housing. A swing-type portable communication terminal is disclosed in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/822,380.
In the conventional fold-type portable communication terminal, a data input operation and a displayed data check operation are conveniently provided in a phone mode like voice communication or text message transmission. However, in multimedia environments, prompt and accurate data input operation, such as by key pressing, is degraded in a game mode and a wide screen cannot be provided in a display unit. The promptness and accuracy of key manipulation are more important in the game mode than in any other modes. In particular, key manipulation using both hands instead of one hand is crucial for improving promptness and accuracy.
Of course, the foregoing problems can be solved by increasing the size of the portable communication terminal, mounting a wide display unit in the portable communication terminal, and disposing a more number of keys in the portable communication terminal, which goes against miniaturization and causes inconvenience in carrying.
The slide-type portable communication terminal can be easily opened and closed, and provides a wide display unit. In both the slide-type portable communication terminal and the fold-type portable communication terminal, although an input problem does not arise in the phone mode, the user feels inconvenient in key manipulation in the game mode.
Therefore, there is a need for a portable communication terminal that is used as a convenient slide type in the phone mode and facilitates key manipulation with both hands in the game mode.
A portable communication terminal that is easy to use in the game mode is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/946,838. However, the disclosed portable communication terminal is easy to use both in the phone mode and the game mode, but has a complex mechanical internal structure, resulting in a complex assembly process.